The word “stupid” is meant in the same context as it was used in a headline on the cover of the Jan 21, issue of Time Magazine proclaiming “It’s the Voters, Stupid.” A “sub-headline” went on to proclaim “Forget the experts, forget the polls, forget the T.V. ads. How the American people defied the odds, upended expectations and gave us a real race.”
As applies to Branson, a paraphrase of the Time cover could be, “It’s the Marketing, Stupid.” An appropriate sub headline could be, “For get the TIFs, forget the auditor’s outlooks, forget the developers hype. How Branson keeps on marketing, exceeding visitor expectations, and gives America an entertainment experience available no where else.”
A conclusion contained in the “Economic Outlook” of the city of Branson’s recent Independent Auditors Report said, “In the years prior to the Branson Landing opening, the City of Branson has experienced very limited growth.” Oh really, for a little town in the Ozark Mountains some might say that prior to the opening of Branson Landing, partially near the end of May 2006, that Branson had experienced phenomenal growth.
Why some might even say that “but for” the millions of visitors already coming to Branson that Branson Landing might never have been built. Some might even say that tourism and the number of people coming to Branson was already on the rise before Branson Landing even opened. Come to think of it someone did.
At the Aug. 30, 2006 meeting of the Branson Board of Aldermen, the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB gave its marketing report for the period ending Jun. 30, 2006. As compared to a similar time frame in 2005, the report indicates that the total number of visitations to Branson was up 6.5 percent, first time visitors were up by 13.7 percent, the average spending per visitor was up 11.3 percent, the average length of stay up 16.7 percent, and the number of families visiting Branson was up by 17.9 percent.
That same “Economic Outlook” went on to say, “FY 2007 tourism tax collections compared to FY 2006 are up between seven and ten percent in all areas except theatres. All of this activity has been spurred by the development of the Branson Landing and Branson Hills Projects.” WOW, when was the last time you planned a vacation to a destination based on the fact that it had a Target, or a Home Depot or, even, as nice as it is, a shopping mall like Branson Landing. One can just imagine the excitement within the family as they are told that the highlight of their vacation will be the fire and light show at Branson Landing and a two for one hammer sale at Home Depot.
The audit report goes on to attribute the revenue increases to “a result of the many changes and activities the city has entered into, including the city’s successful use of tax increment financing.” Specifically, the report cites the main components of the revenue growth as coming from “increases in sales taxes, increases in utility revenues, and new revenues from tax increment districts.”
Interestingly, and more importantly from a “tell” perspective, the audit report does not contain even a mention of the increased marketing of the Branson area as a potential causal factor in the revenue increases. In terms of revenue, it doesn’t make any difference how something is built, TIF or no TIF, what is important is the revenues that are generated. In Branson’s entertainment retail environment the generation of revenue has a direct relationship to the numbers of people coming to Branson.
Every business person in Branson, excluding perhaps, those located in Branson Landing and Branson Hills, should ask themselves this question, “What will bring more people into my business, the millions of dollars being spent to pay off the city debt on Branson Landing and Branson Hills or the same millions spent on the marketing in an effort to bring more visitors to Branson?” The baseless conclusions of the audit report aside, in terms of ascribing a reason to Branson’s recent revenue increases, an Ole Seagull would suggest that the answer, for most business in Branson is obvious.
